"A guilty man set free on the account of another, is that justice? No that’s grace" Caleb & Sol

27 April 2015

CAN YOU TRULY PRAY THIS PRAYER?

1
Thess 3:9-13

Prayer, what
is it? And what is good for? Before we try
and answer those questions, let’s look at what the bible says about prayer. First, it’s a
command from God….. “Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while
He is near.” Isaiah 55:6. Second, it is
to be offered by us to a holy God…… “Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King
and my God, For to You I will pray.” Psalm 5:2. Third, we have
the privilege to pray only through the saving grace of Christ…… “For through
him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” Eph 2:18. Fourth, it is
to be done through the Spirit…… “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in
your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love
of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal
life.” Jude 20-21. Fifth, it’s
lifting up one soul to God…….. “Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in
heaven.” Lam 3:41. Sixth, it’s to
be offered with sincere lips…… “ O LORD, attend to my cry; Give ear to my
prayer which is not from deceitful lips.” Psalm 17:1. See prayer is
something that we have as a privilege, not a right but a blessing that has been
freely given to us by a holy God through the finishing work founded in the
gospel. That’s what
prayer is church family; a command,
recognizing who is our God, a privilege through the saving work of Jesus
Christ, a genuine desire through the work of the Spirit and its exalting God
because we desperately need Him for everything.

So what is
prayer good for! The answer is found in this portion of Paul’s letter! Let’s
read (v9-v13). We need to
understand as we read any letter by Paul that he is a passionate,
zealous, loving and jealous man of the gospel, who is very transparent; whether
he is speaking, writing or praying. This is how we
are to be in the church! Transparent
and open [an open book] not to gossip or point fingers but to come along side
and help and lift each other up to a holy God who desires His children to
walking together hand in hand in the
gospel. The prayer
that Paul gives here in these short sentences is something I want you to think
about as we dissect this beautiful prayer. Can you pray
this prayer for those in this sanctuary? Paul exemplifies
for us that we can and should pray this for one another. Why? Paul knew prayer
is a vital piece to the Christian life and its one of the pillars of the
church.

As Luke penned
these words “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:42. So I ask you
again! Can you truly pray this prayer, for those who are seating in this
sanctuary? Paul was a man
who willing shared…. his doubts, hopes, concerns, joys, sorrows and weaknesses. But the most
profound thing Paul loved to share was his prayer life. Through his
prayers we can see into the heart of a man’s love for God and his love for
God’s elect children. As one
Theologian said “a genuine love for Jesus
produces a profound love for the church, and you cannot love God’s church if
you do not love God’s people." Paul shows us
how you and I ought to pray for one another…the
reason we pray! So we are
going to see how you and I can answer that question that I put before you this
morning! Can you pray
this prayer?

WE ARE TO BE
PASSIONATE IN OUR PRAYERS FOR ONE ANOTHER.

Paul’s loved
those people dearly and praying for these people meant the world to him. (v9-v10). The emphasis
in (v10) “day and night” is not so
much on what time of day he prayed, but rather on how fervent he was in praying
for them. E. M Bounds
spoke of this kind of passion when praying! “The praying which makes a
prayerful ministry is not a little praying in as we put flavor to give it a pleasant
smack, but the praying must be in the body, and form the blood and bones.
Prayer is no petty duty, put into a corner; no piecemeal performance made out
of fragments of time which have been snatched from business and other
engagements of life; but it means that the best of our time, the heart of our
time and strength must be given” We often don’t take prayer seriously and we sometimes –pass it off as meaningless and
why bother! Paul’s
fervency in prayer is the pattern we should be following, whether it’s privately
and corporately. Think about
when you child asks you for something, you will never hear them beat around the
bush when they make their request. They let their
parents know exactly what they want and how badly they want it. But given the
lack of fervency and passion in some of our prayers, no wonder many of them go
unanswered. We lack the
zeal and passion when we pray and we treat as a duty, rather than a passion to
lift each up, to a holy God. Are you prayer
constantly for one another on a daily basis? If you’re not……
you better keep listening to this letter from Paul. If you
are…….you better keep listening to this letter from Paul.

WE ARE TO BE
PERSISTENT IN OUR PRAYERS FOR ONE ANOTHER.

Praying
earnestly or exceedingly helps us to understand the intensity or the focus of
our prayers as we see here with Paul. It’s the idea
of not being distracted or wandering in your thoughts as the disciples did in
the garden. Jesus said
this “And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to
Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you
may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is
weak." Matt 26:40-41. The emphasis of
Paul’s prayer resolves around his “need” or desire for God to “direct” his way
back to them. Again as we
read here in (v11) “….direct our way back
to you” we have
already seen in the previous chapter (2:18) “…we
wanted to come to you.” What I find amazing
with this prayer is that Paul didn’t have a long list of things or names to
fill the air with his prayer time. He had one
desire! To be with them. As one writer said “Paul’s prayers were specific,
persistent and always focused.”

“direct” is the idea of conducting one
straight to a place, and not by a round-about course. He didn't ramble on or have a list to go through as you would if you went shopping. He was focused
[persistent] on this burden and the burden he had for this church. It’s the same
way we should approach prayer for one another. Where have we
seen this kind of persistence? In Luke chapter
11 we read “And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to
him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, or a friend of
mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he
will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my
children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'? I tell
you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend,
yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I
tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and
it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks
finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if
his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he
asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how
to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:5-13

Persistence
conveys the idea of “urgency,
earnestness, boldness and relentless” It’s the idea
of someone begging on the streets for food or money. Jesus, always
taught a healthy prayer life is persistent and specific. We come boldly,
not arrogantly! But boldly to the throne with our praise and petitions. We are to do
the same when we pray for one another. Though we may
not get the answers right away, we must preserve with the specifics and wait
for His good timing.

WE ARE TO BE PURPOSEFUL
IN OUR PRAYERS FOR ONE ANOTHER

Spiritual
growth was Paul’s deepest desire for these young in the faith Christians. Even though
this was a faithful church and walking in the right direction, Paul was
always concerned for the spiritual well-being with his prayer focused that they
would grow deeper and stronger each and every day. We see that in
(V10) “that we may see your face, and perfect what was lacking in your faith?” It’s the idea
that I “might render it complete, or fill
up anything which is missing.” It’s not that
Paul thought the church was wishy-washy; he just wanted to see them grow
stronger spiritually. So he prays
this very specific and purposeful prayer! (v11-13). That you may
increase more and more by His sovereign
grace…“abound in love” gives the idea that their love to be enlarged and
made abundant, taken together gives the meaning of"increase to
overflowing"! “Agape love” by definition is….. the love
of choice and of serving with humility. It is the
highest kind of love, the noblest kind of devotion, the love of the will
(intentional, conscious choice) and not done for appearance or motivated by
emotional attraction. Clearly this
was not a loveless church, as we read in the opening remarks of Paul’s letter. (1
:3)

Can you pray
this prayer for one another?

Remember what
Jesus said “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as
I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will
know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John
1:34-35. In John’s
small letter he said this “If anyone says, "I love God," and hates
his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has
seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from
him: whoever loves God must also love his
brother.” 1 John 1:20-21. Though this is
something will never reach this side of Heaven, but it’s something we need to
strive for and pray for each and every day. As you grow in
your relationship with Christ, you will also be growing in your love for one
another. “May the Lord cause you, may the Lord make you
increase”
in your love for one another.

Charles
Swindoll, identifies at least four ways that we can express this kind of love
to one another.

Listen to
others, including those who hold viewpoints with which you disagree.

Demonstrate
grace by looking past people’s “faults”
to see their strengths.

Recognize the
value and dignity of other human beings, regardless of their background [But I
would also include age]

Show God’s
love by selflessly serving and sacrificing for others.

That’s how we
can increase in loving one another! Seeking the interest of others over
ourselves. That’s what it
mean s to love others as Christ loved you! But Paul also
prays that the Lord would “establish your heart blameless in holiness” This is an example
of a walk worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ. That you may
be established, and be without blame in the Day of Judgement.Can you pray
this prayer for one another? This world
wants to conform and entice us into its mold…..so this is where we need to purposefully
pray for one another…fervently as Paul did for these believers. The world says
“in order to get along you must go along” And Paul cry’s
out in his prayer that the Lord “establish
their hearts” by not being conformed to this present evil world system. It’s the idea
of walking worthy for the glory of Christ, not man. Paul wrote
this to the church in Rome. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will
of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Rom 12:2. In 1 John
2:15-17 we read this “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If
anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is
in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of
life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing
away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

In order to
walk worthy, your heart needs to be established, it needs a daily helping from
God. Remember, this isn't the process to becoming holy or some formula to achieve sinless perfection. Why? To
everyone who is of the Elect, is seen by God, as holy and blameless. This is only
made possible through the finished work found in the gospel. We see that
truth in letter of Job “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job,
and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from
evil.” Job 1:1. Believers are
to walk (live) in such a manner that we will not justifiably produce the
reproach of others. As one writer
said “Even if a charge would be made
against us, that the charge could not be maintained.” Our position
in Christ before God is blameless but Paul's prayer speaks of our daily walk
and his desire for it to be blameless in holiness. So the purpose
of Paul’s prayer is that they “Stand”,
that they “Live” in the light of their holiness. And the
motivation for doing this is the reminder in (v13b) “at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all the saints.” This should be
our motivation for “faithful living" This should be
our prayer for one another each and every day to live faithful for Him and His
glory. Instead of
fearing His coming as so many will, our lives are to exemplify His return and
we should stand with joy and rest knowing His return is imminent. Walking worthy
as we await our King. This was Paul’s desire that they would excel more and
more in their walk with Christ. Our pattern
and purpose of prayer for one another shouldn't be any different than Paul’s. This is how we
should be praying for one another! Sadly though,
we tend to tear each other down more than lift each other up! This is where
you, this were we, need to change.

So again I
ask! Can you pray this prayer? Do you truly
love the people that fill this sanctuary? Do you truly
love one another enough to make time daily and intercede to a holy God on
behalf of someone? Do you truly
care more about the soul rather than trying to out spiritualize someone who is
lesser than you?Do you care at
all?

Can you pray
this prayer!

Our Heavenly Father,

“Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord
Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in
love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish
your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our
Lord Jesus with all his saints.” 1 Thess 3:11-13

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2 Timothy 2:8-14"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us toa holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.Follow the pattern of the soundwords that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."ESV

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John MacArthur says . . . " There seems almost no limit to what modern church leaders will do to entice people who aren't interested in worship and preaching. Too many have bought the notion that the church must win people by offering an alternative form of entertainment. Just how far will the church go in competing with Hollywood? A large church in the southwestern United States has installed a half-million dollar special-effects system that can produce smoke, fire, sparks, and laser lights in the auditorium. The church sent staff members to study live special effects at Bally's Casino in Las Vegas. The pastor ended one service by ascending to "heaven" via invisible wires that drew him up out of sight while the choir and orchestra added a musical accompaniment to the smoke, fire, and light show. It was just a typical Sunday show for that pastor: "He packs his church with such special effects as ... cranking up a chain saw and toppling a tree to make a point ... the biggest Fourth of July fireworks display in town and a Christmas service with a rented elephant, kangaroo and zebra. The Christmas show features 100 clowns with gifts for the congregation's children."Shenanigans like that would have been the stuff of Spurgeon's worst nightmares. And even Tozer could not have foreseen the extreme to which evangelicals would go in paying homage to the great god Entertainment. "

What does it mean to live a cross centered life?by Pastor Mike AndrewsWe as Christians know that there is only one road to take. The Bible say's "wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it" (Matt 7:13). Why is there so many people who profess Jesus Christ taking this road? (Phil 3:19) "Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things". The Bible say's the wide road leads to destruction. Which means eternally separated from a HOLY and Sovereign GOD. There is ony one road for GENUINE Christian. And it's the narrow road. A life that is: 1) Self denial2) Caring your cross daily3) Desiring the things of God4) Hating the things that God hates5) Submission and obedience6) Holy living7) Expects any kind of persecution.(Mat 10:22) and you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved(1 John 3:13) Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.A.W. Tozer says "The true follower of Christ will not ask, "If I embrace this truth, what will it cost me?" Rather he will say, "This is truth. God help me to walk in it, let come what may!" (1Pet 4:16-17) Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?We must stand strong in the Gospel of Christ. Holding to His promise of eternal life.
1. A Cross Centered life never is ashamed of His Gospel, for which He suffers,
2. A Cross Centered Life is never ashamed of the name he bears (Christian)
3. Nor of the punishment he endures, but let US, as OUR Lord and Master did, endure the cross.

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." John Piper"Alan Redpathhad two daughters who loved to swarm him when he came home at night. As he came in the door one evening, his little girls ran to meet him. One grabbed his leg and hugged him with all her might. He snatched the other daughter up in his arms. The one squeezing his leg said, "Now, I've got all of Daddy." The daughter in his arms replied, "Yes, but Daddy has got all of me!" Perhaps the question we need to continually ask is, "Does God have all of me?" Alan Redpath

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"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE") Gal 3:13. That's why as the great puritan once said "I preach as a dying man,to dying men. Richard Baxter...."